Hi. We are a design/style LA based company specializing in mixing eclectic styles on moderate budgets. Also we have a strange amount of fun blogging about all our design and style adventures. Right now I’m happy to say that I’m Target’s home spokesperson, bringing accessible/stylish design to the masses.

Into the Woods

A Baby Girl’s Blush and Green Nursery + Get The Look

Elliot’s nursery is finished, and just like that baby you see there, it is pretty darn magical. This room is both airy and cozy, welcoming and minimal, grown-up and yet so playful. The first two weeks after giving birth were spent in here nursing, watching reruns of Parenthood and Brothers and Sisters (for the first time), and while it wasn’t totally finished yet, it had such a good vibe already. I have such newborn nostalgia every time I walk in here and its become my favorite room in the house.

My original intent was a Pacific Northwest forest nursery, but as you may have noticed, it’s very “Where The Wild Things Are.” It’s practically gender neutral, with some touches of soft pink to warm up all the greens. It combines my love of country, victorian, and midcentury. As you well know, there are many rooms in my home that I’m like “eh, thats not quite portfolio worthy (my master bedroom, for instance, and even my deck), but this room? This room is one of my favorites. EVER.

Let’s do a quick trip down memory lane. As you can see, below, this room has gone through quite the transfortation over the last two years:

When I found out we were having a girl I, well, I cried tears of joy, and then calmed down (see gender reveal video here) and pulled together this mood board.

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I still love it and we stuck to that board for the most part. The look and feel is the same but all the pieces changed – as they do. I love that CB2 but right before I pulled the trigger I found the vintage daybed. That dresser was purchased but is now in the new guest suite. I found a vintage rocker instead of the one on the board. And while that (above) is my favorite crib in the world, I chose to not splurge on it and instead get a great $300 one.

The wallpaper was the main inspiration for the whole room, but we had a huge challenge – one of the walls (the main wall) was made of cinder blocks. I liked this look, I did, but it meant that I couldn’t wallpaper. So as I researched I found that there was this product called .

Faster Plaster is a really thick paper under your wallpaper. It’s basically spanx for your wall. Wall spanx. It’s removable if the next owners want the cinderblock feature again. Like spanx it’s not flawless, by the way. And you can see light lines. It doesn’t bother me, but I could see it bothering someone (it’s not visible in photos because it’s so slight).

Once the Faster Plaster was in place we could install our amazing wallpaper.

This paper is so special. It’s like a mural, with huge impact and a big powerful graphic, but it does have a repeat. It goes from floor to ceiling – so it’s not a decal that stops at the tree and instead continues the white to the ceiling. It has a lot of depth and texture. It feels neither photo-realistic nor cartoony – it’s this strange middle ground that is totally perfect. The artist that created it is truly talented.

I purchased that side table at the flea market for $40, and it has square brass legs. Score.

The rug . . . OH . It’s a shag that I want to shag. It’s so h and soft – almost like another piece of furniture. It’s thick and reflects the light in such a beautiful way. Am I afraid about the fact that it’s white? Yes. And I do make sure people take off their shoes in this room, but it’s also a baby room so yea, take off your shoes. This rug does NOT shed, which has been an issue in previous shag rugs, because babies get it in their mouths and it’s annoying for everyone involved.

Let’s talk wicker daybed. I asked Victoria where she got her daybed () and she gave me the source – a vintage dealer in San Francisco. She had a similar one and sent me pictures. I actually love Victoria’s more, but I still love this one. Of course now has a better version of this daybed because the height of the foot and head is the same whereas ours are twin beds, so the head is taller. I love it, don’t get me wrong. The reason I got it (and the reason that I wanted the CB2 sofa) is that this room was big enough to sleep one adult if needed. This could be a friend, mother in law, or myself during those harrowing nights. So instead of a sofa or a huge changing table, we opted for a twin bed turned daybed. I LOVE IT. We had a custom mattress made by Eve Mattress and it is just the right combo of hard and soft, perfect for those naps. We have that guest suite downstairs but it feels separate, so if you are by yourself it’s a little sad. It’s nice to have one more place to sleep inside the house.

The is part of the Babyletto line at Target. I saw it at Joy’s press preview (they used it as a prop) and I was like “who has been keeping this piece hidden from me?” It had just come out, and it was the perfect scale that I needed. It’s great because once those kids are done with diapers (you know, when they are like SEVEN, it feels like) we can take off the top and that piece can live anywhere in the house.

I left that diaper pail in the shot out of respect for all you moms. We keep all the diapers/whipes/disgusting ointments hidden in the top drawer, but I get annoyed when I see photos with both sides of a changing table with nary a diaper pail in sight. All these moms with non-pooping babies …

The is also from the Babyletto line from Target. It’s so good, you guys. I’ve designed now 13 nurseries (2 you haven’t seen yet) and I’ll tell you this: Don’t splurge on your crib unless it’s EXTREMELY special. Remember the lucite crib? That is special. Otherwise there are many $100- $300 options out there. Think about how many kids you are going to have, but otherwise go cheap. This crib still turns into a toddler bed so we’ll have it for 4 years but there is still no need to spend $1500, IMHO.

Please stare at that rug some more.

The has been floating around my house. It’s VERY good, simple with a shockingly high end looking finish, considering it’s only $70.

I bought the rocker from in the valley – my favorite midcentury warehouse (tied with ). It was a faded blue velvet which I liked, but didn’t love so we had it recovered in this pine green. Here is a sad truth about nurseries – rockers don’t rock well on thick rugs AND to add to the problem they need to be either all on or all off the rug. The solution is to get a massive glider that does function a bit better on thick rugs, or to get a smaller rug. Neither of these are good options. In a perfect world there would be more oval rugs for this exact reason. I may end up moving this chair into the guest suite (I bought it knowing that it was a piece that does not need to be a nursery even though its a rocker) and getting a larger glider or club chair. I love this chair, though.

The is one that I’ve loved forever. It’s classic, midcentury, and extremely functional. But the main reason I love it here is that it gives off the softest light. Normally with sconces the underside is exposed and that is annoying to look at – especially for a baby laying in the chair trying to be read to (and subsequently rocked til they are sleepy). This sconce has a fabric shade on all sides = extremely soft baby friendly light. I highly recommend it (and I might be even putting them in my master bedroom because I love them so much).

The textiles are probably the least obvious thing that makes the most difference. Remember when the curtains looked like this? They were too low/short and really visually heavy. This time around I hired to do the curtains and they did a FANTASTIC job. We took them floor to ceiling, wall to wall, in a blackout lined light green linen. They are perfect. So perfect in fact that I also bought them for my closet doors (instead of the janky doors that were there).

In my quest for peacefulness I also asked them to make some pillows in the same fabric. Since the wallpaper was such a statement I wanted the textiles to be low-contrast and really soft and textural.

I was extremely impressed with their textile selection, quality and the execution was PERFECT. The lining was beautiful and the length was perfect. You’d think that doing it over the internet would be risky, but it wasn’t. I went slightly too short (because you can’t notice 1/2″ floating) to be safe. And everything came so perfectly, with that hardware which is seamless and disappears.

Look how beautiful those curtains are.

I can’t recommend enough. And while they did gift some of the items, I have no obligation to give them a rave review – just crediting/linkage. But honestly I would use them again, and again, and again. Their product is solid, beautiful, and extremely convenient. Those black-out lined drapes would have cost $570, which is more than readymade, but the quality and function far exceeds that.

work always makes me happy, so of course I had to have it in this happy room, too. She originally sent the X for a different project and then I thought – what if we did X and O for hugs and kisses in Elliots room? She agreed. What I love about her work is how quiet and simple it is but since its embroidery it feels really special, unique and original. If these were a print they would be really cute, but having it be in this medium obviously has more quiet impact.

There I am practicing my Lion King move with that little cub ( is from the Who What Wear Collection from Target and I LOVE it). The rocking horse and that robot are made by the same designer – who worked at BBDW before going off on his own. He’s a dad and wanted more beautiful furniture/toys for kids so he designs and builds these out of his studio in Eagle rock. I LOVE them and am so glad to support/promote his work.

So there you have it- Elliot’s gender neutral, peaceful, forest themed nursery. I love this room so much that I may never even change it, which is saying A LOT coming from me 🙂

Just excellent! I don’t have kids (am not able to unfortunately,) but this room and blog post has so much fantastic content, and design sources that made it completely worth reading and pinning. Great work!

ha. she kinda looks like a boy in that striped tee (that was a hand me down from charlie). It’s so funny i think that since we used to seeing boys in certain clothes it immediately triggers that response even though its just a striped tee that any grown girl/woman would wear. But yes, she is all girl 🙂

I love it. The wallpaper is the star for me… but I have to give two more runner-up stars to that daybed and rocker. I’m sorry to hear the rocker isn’t working with the rug because it looks so damn good in that room!

I saw saw a fan very similar to that on at Home Depot over the weekend if that helps! I made a mental note for when I eventually get around to replacing my very unattractive but very necessary ceiling fans.

There did! I know. I don’t think its sold anymore. It was from Wayfair but I don’t remember what it was called. It wasn’t particularly expensive either – like $250. Sorry guys. I’ll try to find it, but we haven’t had any luck either.

This is just so beautiful and peaceful! I was looking forward to seeing how it turned out, but this is my favorite of all of your reveals. Really. Also, the curtains really do have a huge impact, although it feels subtle… it just makes the room look so BIG.

i think this is one of your masterpieces. the wallpaper is heavenly. it is so evocative and dreamy, reminds me of my favorite painting, by bonnard, the open window. also treetops. green, white and blush. wow. lucky baby elliott.

I have a very similar rug that was only $150 on clearance from Costco but after six months of dogs lying on it, it’s all brown and matted down where they lay. Don’t get dogs. Or walk on it. LOL. It was also hard to vacuum. But so pretty.

And this probably goes without saying but watch the clearances for heads in the rattan bed. I could see a toddler wedging their head in one of those lovely loops while goofing around.

I have to say that we do have to be careful on the rug. No shoes AT ALL. Also I’ve come to terms with the fact that if we want white rugs we’ll probably pay for yearly cleaning. My friend just had hers cleaned for $300 and it looks brand new again. It’s not cheap but good to know its an option. We don’t have shoes on upstairs too much but I am worried about once that door becomes accessible …

This is really beautiful. Normally nurseries really aren’t my jam (no kids), but this is stunning. I might have to pin it and risk my mom reading too much into it. 🙂

I love all of it, but especially the wallpaper, the daybed, the light green curtains, and the light touches of pink.

What’s crazy is that it totally seems appropriate as a nursery, but could easily transition into beautiful kids room as she gets older. I might even steal some of this for inspiration for my master bedroom. Elliot is a lucky little girl to have such a talented mom.

First off, I love this beautiful room. Now to the “mean” question: Have you had a shag rug with little kids before? I had to get rid of mine because so many things get lost in it, and with a crawling baby able to spot pennies, legos, and all other kinds of random death hazards that are hidden to the naked grown up eye, I was shaking the rug once a week, which was HARD and still finding all kinds of babykilling paraphanalia lost in there. Please update on how it is holding up on the child safety front once Elliot is crawling. With an older brother, spaces can’t be as tightly controlled and baby proofed, so visibly being able to see that the death hazards were off the carpet was my only option. An option that a shag rug does not afford.

Also – question to anyone…how do you vacuum or clean your shag rug? I never found a solution other than shaking.

I also have a shag rug in my daughter’s room. It was an impulse buy and I did not think about function 🙂 I do vacuum with standard vacuum and will walk upon it to feel for large items. Though, I do try to keep tiny toys out of her room for this very reason. I just commented here about the uncanny similarities with my room design from a few months back (pouf, rug, blanket, palette). You can check out here:

Ha! Yes, we began to lose Legos, action figures, cheerios, popcorn and spare change into our beautiful shag rug. It was so nice at first and then became a source of anxiety for me – what was living in there???
Let us know how it works out over the long-er haul – very pretty!

HA. This might come true, who knows. I will say that we don’t play too much in Charlie’s room – its all in the family room. But Charlie’s room doesn’t have that good of light so while i love that room its less inviting than this room which has such happy light. THis could easily be moved into our bedroom if this becomes a problem though – Brian LOVES to play ‘musical rugs’. I love that it doesn’t shed though – most flokatis do which is annoying for babies.

Yes yes yes to the cheap crib tip. I wanted an expensive crib, but bought one for $100 instead and guess what my baby did to that crib? She gnawed all over it. It looks like we kept feral rabbits in it. I am SO glad I didn’t splurge!

This is so lovely. Do you think this wallpaper could work in a playful home office (or does it read too childlike in person)? My office is upstairs and faces the backyard, so it feels like you’re sitting in the trees. I thought it could be cool to use this wallpaper to bring more of the outside in (and make me less depressed about sitting inside at my computer). But I don’t want it to look like a nursery.

This is why I don’t mind waiting for your reveal ! This room is so amazing, I can’t find words for how much I love it. The wallpaper, the daybed, the general styling (so pulled back, so airy and refined !). It’s the perfect combination of elegance with a little twist. Love, love, love it !!

I was reading the previous article and I thought about how you always do “you”, but with something new. Who’d have thought you’d decorate such a room a few years ago ? And yet, it has the same elegance and fun we’ve come to expect. I wish I was able to reinvent my taste like that.

Side note: we are renovating our home office, with LOTS of shelves and beautiful wooden storage. I’m styling the bookshelves thinking “What would Youxi988 do ?”. The result: husband is a great fan, visitors comment on how airy and fun yet practical it is. Thank you so much for your blog ! (now, if only I could watch American TV reruns here in France, life would be great. They are blocked for some reason. Urgh).

WOW… i mean WOW. I am literally blown away at how different this room looks than when it was your guest room! Everything individually is of course so beautiful, but what blew me away is the transformation- the way the tree-lined walls lead your eye right to the beams of fresh light at the end of the room- its just ethereal! Your daughter is lucky to grow up in such a beautiful and welcoming space!!

I want this room for myself. I have no children, I just love it. Dusty pink and pine are so good together – as long as you don’t go too 80’s. This room is stunning. I can’t get over it. Time to go pin all the pictures. Love, love, love.

So, So beautiful…like a dream! I do have a question about your pouf. I bought one in Morocco for my son’s nursery, but I bought it without the stuffing so I could travel with it. Nothing I have found holds the pouf in the way yours seems to. Most of the time it looks quite squashed…lovely, but squashed! Do you have any recommendations? Much appreciated!

I have been anticipating this nursery post ever since you announced baby Elliot’s impending arrival! I see why you love this room so much: it’s absolutely fresh, cozy and sweet. I enjoy and appreciate how the design is gender neutral in all the main pieces. The touches of blush in the textiles are just enough. That wallpaper is so fabulous, wow! It could have been too much pattern on both walls but it really works. I see it as a design that will grow with her. So nice! I love the handmade wooden toys and the variety of soft textures bringing tons of softness to the bright space. I have a mid-century Danish rocker in my guest room that I am hoping to use in a nursery so it’s good to know about the issues on a shag rug, thanks. Now I just need a baby so I can use your tips to design my own nursery…

Random question… how do you get Bearcat to be so nice to all of your textiles??? My cat will find the most expensive rug or pillow in the house and mark his territory all over it. Any tips on this??? (Also the cat is fine, I keep taking him to the vet, no UTI, he just clearly hates me/nice things)

Love that daybed…and would appreciate knowing if you had cover made to fit the mattress/cushion? And if so, what white fabric you chose {cotton? blend? linen? outdoor grade?}. It looks soft too. If it is a manufactured cover, would you recall the manufacturer? Is it just a ‘mattress cover’? Though I do think Anything on that gorgeous bamboo would look good. Kudos.

This is so beautiful! I just recently discovered your blog and love it! You are so inspiring! I just recently revealed my baby boy’s nursery on my own newly created design blog! Doesn’t even compare to this, but check it out!

Beautiful, simple and stunning! I love this room so much! I had my three kids before I got majorly into home decor and misses out on the fun of creating a nursery. I make up for it now and redo their rooms way too much 🙂

Absolutely beautiful! So serene and tranquil can imagine how peaceful it is in this room.
I initially thought it would be dark with that wallpaper, but you have loads of natural light and large windows so it works really well. Stunning!

I live in Seattle and I assure you our forests look nothing like this. I just wish they did. I would totally move into your fantasy forest and have zebra friends and soft fluffy rugs to walk around on barefoot.
Our real forests are big fir trees, ferns, fallen half rotten logs and all sorts of viney things that trip you up if you’re ever silly enough to go off path. I tried to take a short cut once (the regular path might have taken 15 minutes). An hour later I crawled out of the woods terribly grateful I hadn’t tripped and broken my leg.
I like your forest ever so much better. And zebra, you didn’t mention that handsome devil.

This just might be the best room you have ever done. I love it so much! That wallpaper is just so, so very good. I also compliment you on using Elliott for a girl’s name…it’s lovely.
Internet high-five!

I am so glad you stuck with that incredible wallpaper!! I’ve lived all over the West/Northwest and while a previous commenter is right in that the wallpaper isn’t quite the same as a PNW rainforest, the paper & the overall feel of the room DOES remind me of the Northwest, perhaps more the inland Northwest, where the trees are smaller and scrubbier and the temperatures are warmer. 😉

I’ve just finished a series of paintings from our Northwestern travels ( )and your room has the same dreamy yet graphic feel. I’m totally in love. Elliot is a lucky girl!

WOW! Perfect. So happy to see this reveal as I’m finishing my toddlers (boy 4 & girl 2) gender neutral room. I followed your mid century, Victorian modern + beachy vibe but couldn’t figure out a lighting idea until today. Thx. P.S. Watch Charlie’s feet in the curvy rattan spindles …. My son already broke 2 on the Danish modern chair pretending he was a prehistoric bird in a ‘fuzzy nest!’

What a lovely nursery for a beautiful (and lucky!) baby. The wallpaper is a show-stopper and I’m sure will work into make-believe games when Elliot grows older. Thanks so much for sharing–I’ve been looking forward to the big reveal!

PS: I have the George Nelson cigar sconce in my bedroom and love it. It gives off soft light but is still wonderful to read by. I’m cheap so it was a splurge but I’ve never regretted it.

Do you think it would look good to frame a piece of that wallpaper in a really large frame and hang it? We have fragile plaster walls and I really don’t want to put up wallpaper and someday deal with getting it down. But I love that paper!

but i really came here to say TELL ME EVERYTHING ABOUT FASTER PLASTER. my walls need spanx, just wondering how affordable this is as a solution (textured walls! ugh). actually i think i will just call them- thanks for the link!

Love the nursery! Not to be annoying, but of course I’m interested in the ONE item you didn’t list a source for! Do you mind sharing where you found the standing zebra? So cute! Thanks for the great content.

Emily! Just gorgeous! I am SO sorry to ask you about the only thing you didn’t link to, but where did you find your ceiling fan? I have such a love hate relationship with fans but they are VERY necessary in south Texas. I would love to know the source for yours! Pretty please! 🙂

Absolutely stunning! A colored Caravan crib was my dream crib too, but we’re going with a Babymod crib with a similar shape. The Babyletto crib you chose was the runner up. I’m in the process of designing a nursery for my son. The wallpaper will be perfect to go with some Animal Print Shop prints we have chosen. What would you do to make this room a bit more masculine? An obvious is to swap out the pink for another color, but which color?

Wow!! I’m officially using this room as inspiration for my current house reno. The nursery turned out so gorgeous…I know I should be drooling over our drapes (and I am), but that wallpaper! I’m so glad our drapery and pillows turned out so perfectly for Elliot’s first room.

Oh, Emily, we’re smitten! Just smitten! Elliot is (so cute) such a lucky girl to have this magical, comfortable space to grow up in. We love every choice and are going to stare at this post all day! You rock, sis.

Oh my gosh! Emily- This is a MAJOR STUNNER! Seriously, this is my favorite room that you have ever ever done- which is amazing because all of your work is gorgeous! It is light and beautiful, clean and serene, yet simple and elegant. How you tied all of that together I have no idea except for the fact that you are amazingly talented! Bravo:)

my gosh I have been dreaming of using that wallpaper forever. It looks gorgeous. I think I am going to put it in my entryway. Its just so gorgeous and magical. This is a truly beautiful room – you have outdone even yourself Emily with this one. Stunning!!

Emily,
I love every single thing about this room. So excited to see that Anthro in Canada had it but sadly sold out. Will keep my fingers crossed it will come back. In the mean time; enjoy your beautiful baby and this gorgeous nursery.

Hello!

Emily is a stylist, author and T.V. host with a strong commitment to vintage inspired approachable home style for every single person. Perfection is boring; Let’s get weird. learn more

Interior Design Blog by Youxi988

I started this interior design blog in 2010 as a journal of my style and home projects with the belief that design should be approachable, informational and accessible no matter what budget.

As a home style expert who has a strong commitment to peeling back the intimidating layers of the world of home decor, and showing how every person can have a beautiful home that represents their personality, no matter what the budget.

After styling for magazines and catalogues for years, I started my own interior design blog, won HGTV Design Star, and have gone on to host my own hit TV show Secrets from a Stylist, Author the book STYLED, and create the design firm Youxi988 Design.

My motto has always been to write and publish on my blog what I personally want to read about.